Written by Robert O'Hara

Directed by Devin Ty Franklin as their M.F.A. thesis production.

“Bootycandy” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

TIME

1970's - Present

DATES

April 10 - 12 & 16 - 18 @ 8pm. April 12 & 19 @ 2pm. The Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater, Kantner Hall, 19 South College Street, Athens, OH 45701

Talk-back after the show on Thursday 4/17.

There will be one 10-minute intermission.

TICKETS

Arts For Ohio provides FREE Student Rush tickets with an OU ID for each performance at the venue provided tickets are not sold out.

CONTENT ADVISORY

"Bootycandy" contains sexually explicit material.

SYNOPSIS

A Black queer odyssey navigating childhood and sexuality, O’Hara’s semi-autobiographical comedy offers us rage, reflection, and... a rack of ribs. What lengths are you willing to take to be embraced as you are, and does safety always outweigh authenticity?

DRAMATURGICAL NOTE

Comedy has always been integral to our performance traditions, with playwrights and artists leveraging it for social and political commentary and serving as a societal equalizer. West African Yoruba performances employed masquerade and parody to subtly undermine solemn rituals, while the Greek playwright Aristophanes openly ridiculed specific individuals in his comedies. Molière’s French farces comedically questioned the boundaries between self and performance. In 15th-century Japan, kabuki performers used parodic drag to create comedic role reversals that challenged samurai culture and the status quo. The Korean kut, a shamanistic ritual historically performed by women, served as a “safety valve” for the oppressed to mock their oppressors without fear. From Yoruba to ancient Greece, from French farce to the kut, comedy has proven to be an essential tool for playful ridicule.   

Robert O’Hara’s semi-autobiographical and provocative subversive comedy, BOOTYCANDY, premiered at Woolly Mammoth in 2011. The play unfolds the experiences of Sutter, a young gay Black man, on a fearless journey through his childhood home, church, bars, and motel rooms. At times moving, shocking, humorous, and insightful, BOOTYCANDYshowcases a vibrant variation of vignettes, sermons, sketches, and audacious meta-theatrics. From scene to scene, the play humorously shifts back and forth across space and time, with O’Hara utilizing four other actors to portray various characters from Sutter’s life. O’Hara employs biting and hilarious social satire to explore the interplay of pain and pleasure while taking a candid look at views on homosexuality within Black culture. 

In BOOTYCANDY, O’Hara capitalizes on the historical use of comedy while building on his own lexicon of performance traditions. Performance scholar Julinda Lewis argues that the play draws on Africanist aesthetics, suggesting it operates with a polycentric rhythm that allows for quick shifts between comedic and serious elements, often employing both simultaneously. O’Hara also draws from the theatrical traditions of his mentor, George C. Wolfe, whose play The Colored Museum utilized “signifying” as a rhetorical strategy for Black gay men. As scholar Charles I. Nero defines it, signifying plays with language to convey its message subtextually and subversively, as seen in the wit and wordplay found in “reading” and camp practices in Harlem ballrooms. This signifying is evident throughout the play, whether in the double entendre found in the “Ceremony” scene or in the ludicrous wordplay and irony that occurs over a “Happy Meal.” 

What ultimately results in BOOTYCANDY is what theatre scholar Isaiah Matthew Wooden describes as a “dramaturgy of the defamiliarizing,” where familiar social categories (such as Blackness, gayness, masculinity, family, etc.) are reinterpreted as strange and disordered. These social constructs are revealed as restrictive and ripe for humorous critique and new understanding. BOOTYCANDY playfully mocks, challenges, and interrogates our cherished beliefs, what we often accept uncritically, and what causes us the deepest pain. In doing so, the play allows for the reclamation of self beyond the myth of personal perfection and the constraints of respectability politics. 

O’Hara describes his theater as one where “everyone is welcome, and no one is safe.” And to that, we conclude: welcome.

Tyler Adams, Dramaturg

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We, Vibrancy Theater and The School of Theater, acknowledge that, from the time of Ohio University’s founding in 1804, it has occupied the traditional homelands of the Shawnee people, as well as the Wahzhazhe (who are also known as the Osage), who lived in Southeast Ohio before them. As the first federally legislated public university in the United States of America, Ohio University was an integral part of the U.S.’s westward expansion and empire building. 

"There is a physical memory after one chokes. Lingering. It makes you aware that all chocolate cake… ain't the same."

-Robert O’Hara 

With each production, Vibrancy Theater demands to challenge the dominant narrative. Our commitment to explicit Anti-Racist procedures and practices requires art that activates. The production of Bootycandy by Robert O'Hara is important to Vibrancy because it boldly tackles themes of identity, sexuality, race, and societal norms in a provocative, humorous way. It challenges conventional narratives, offering a fresh, unapologetic perspective on the complexities of the Black LGBTQ+ experience, fostering dialogue and promoting inclusivity in theater.

Vibrancy not only wants you to see Bootycandy to experience the humor and sharp commentary but also wants to provoke thought and spark important conversations about society today. This show offers a unique, bold perspective that is both entertaining and socially relevant, making it a compelling experience.

Vibrancy Special Thanks:

We would like to give a special thanks to the Ohio University School of Theater faculty and staff, Roberto, Devin, the cast of Bootycandy, as well the designers and everyone who helped bring this production of Bootycandy together!

Executive Leadership

Leilani Stillwagon: Co-Artistic Director

Kekoa Huihui-Andrew: Co-Artistic Director

Annaka Guerrero: Co-Executive Producer

Laila Christian: Co-Executive Producer/Leadership Liason

Bella Martin: Co-Coordinator of Community Outreach and Engagement

Talitha Thomas: Co-Coordinator of Community Outreach & Engagement

 Vibrancy Theater Founders

Founding Faculty Mentor: Charles Smith, Distinguished Professor of Playwriting

Co-founding Artistic Directors: Janai Lashon and Keshawn Mellon

Co-founding Executive Directors: Roberto Di Donato and Ri Moodie

Founding Scribe: Daniela Chaparro 

Co-founding Community Outreach Coordinators: Rhys Carr and Taylor Roberts

Co-founding Social Media Consultants: Kaleb Jackson and Laurettia Weakly

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

FIRE NOTICE

Illuminated signs above each door indicate
emergency exits. Please check for the nearest
exit. In the event of an emergency, you will be
notified by theater personnel and assisted in
the evacuation of the building.

SEATING POLICY 

Everyone must have a ticket. Sorry, no
children in arms or on laps. Patrons who
leave the theater during the performance
will be reseated at the discretion of house
management. Those who become disruptive
will be asked to leave the theater.

ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES

The Elizabeth Evans Baker Theater is
fully accessible to those with mobility issues.
When booking tickets, please let our Box
Office know if you require a ticket that will
accommodate a wheelchair. Please call Ledger
Free, Director of Audience Services, at 917-
733-0081 if you need any assistance during
your visit. We are here to help you!